The reign of Elizabeth (1952 – 2022), is long enough to prompt five distinctive portraits thus far.
These depict her as a young woman on her ascension to the throne, as a more regal young ruler in 1974, as a confident monarch in 1985 and as an elderly ruler in 1998.
The 1989 single year issue depicts the en robed monarch seated on a throne. The reverse is the scene of St. George slaying the dragon, for 1989 it was a Tudor Rose, for 2002 a shield motif and for 2005 a “Harry Potter” type of St George.
Queen Elizabeth II Wreath Sovereigns 1957-1968.
In 1953 sovereigns were produced for Queen Elizabeth II for the Coronation Sets but these were intended for national collections rather than for collectors. The Royal Mint resumed production of bullion gold sovereigns for circulation in 1957 as world demand for the coins had become so great, and the counterfeiting problem so acute, that Britain decided to issue them again on a regular basis. By doing so, it reasoned, it would satisfy the demand and thereby blunt the premium that was making it so lucrative to counterfeit the coins.
| Year | Bullion | Proof |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1953 | None for Collectors | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1957 | 2,072,000 | Rare |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1958 | 8,700,140 | 10 – 20 coins; rare. |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1959 | 1,358,228 | Rare |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1962 | 3,000,000 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1963 | 7,400,000 | less than 10. |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1964 | 3,000,000 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1965 | 3,800,000 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1966 | 7,050,000 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1967 | 5,000,000 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1968 | 4,203,000 |
Elizabeth II Gold Sovereigns Decimal 1974-1984.
This is the 2nd version of the sovereign Elizabeth II called “decimal head”. This name refers to the new monetary system established in the United Kingdom in 1971. This portrait already drawn was used on the 5 and 10 Pence coins. Minted in more than 38 million copies, this gold sovereign has numerous minting’s of gold coins in Proof (or Belle Epreuve) quality. This second profile of Queen Elizabeth II is the work of Arnold Machin. On the reverse, we find the St George slaying the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci. Sovereign 1979 is the most common year for this release. On the other hand, the 1983 and 1984 sovereigns were only struck in proof version with a reduced quantity. The sovereign Elizabeth II 2nd type was only minted for ten years from 1974 to 1984. Total mintage 38,071,290 coins.
| Year | Bullion | Proof |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1974 | 5,002,566 | 0 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1976 | 4,045,000 | 0 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1978 | 6,550,000 | 0 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1979 | 9,100,000 | 50,000 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1980 | 5,100,000 | 91,200 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1981 | 5,000,000 | 32,960 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1982 | 2,950,000 | 22,250 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1983 | 0 | 21,250 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1984 | 0 | 19,975 |
1974 saw the introduction of another portrait. Arnold Machin, the designer of the Queen’s portrait which appeared on British stamps since 1967, described as the most reproduced portrait of all time, as literally billions of these stamps were made, was granted four sittings at Buckingham Palace and Balmoral.
16 artists submitted designs and a design by Nottingham born Mrs Mary Gillick was chosen, the delicate design portrays a young uncrowned Queen facing to the right. The 1957 issue had much finer milling than previous times to combat counterfeiting. In 1958 slight changes were made to improve definition and detail along with the return to the normal coarser milling of previous times. The ubiquitous St George slaying the dragon continued to appear on the reverse.
The Royal Mint stated in 1971 that the minting of sovereigns had stopped, maybe forever. The bulk of the 1968 coins went to the Greek Government, but a military coup led to no more orders being placed. A spokesman for the mint stated that since minting had recommenced in 1957 most were sent to the Eastern Mediterranean (Syria, Lebanon Israel) and apart from the Greek government orders, the other countries which ordered large amounts were Canada and Australia.
Elizabeth II Gold Sovereigns Third Portrait 1985-1997
| Year | Proof |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1985 | 17,242 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1986 | 17,579 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1987 | 22,479 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1988 | 18,862 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1989 | 23,471 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1990 | 8,425 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1991 | 7,201 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1992 | 6,904 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1993 | 6,090 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1994 | 7,165 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1995 | 9,330 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1996 | 9,110 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1997 | 9,177 |
Queen Elizabeth II Large Head Gold Sovereigns.
It surrenders its accustomed place on its reverse to a new and modern interpretation of St George and the Dragon. The distinctive design by Timothy Noad, a Herald Painter at the College of Arms, features the shield as the focal point to capture the drama of the engagement as the three protagonists play out their legendary contest.
The modern depiction of George and the Dragon will only appear on the 2005 issue.
In 2007 the Royal Mint announced it had re-mastered the dies for St George and the obverse, reports indicate that the coin now has much more detail, harking back to the earlier sovereigns that represented the Empire throughout the world. In 2008 the Royal Mint announced yet another re-mastering.
Nearly two centuries have passed since St. George first started slaying the dragon on the sovereign. The design seems as fresh today as it did when it first appeared, and these coins remain just as popular today as they were back in 1817.
| Year | Bullion | Proof |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1998 | 11,349 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 1999 | 11,903 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2000 | 129,069 | 12,159 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2001 | 49,462 | 10,806 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2002 | 75,264 | 19,440 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2003 | 43,230 | 16,220 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2004 | 30,688 | 12,685 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2005 | 45,524 | 15,458 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Sovereign 2006 | 75,000 | 00,000 |